Topics in Buddhist Thought & Practice

There is an amazing amount of Buddhist teaching and discussion available on the internet these days. Here we will post videos that may be of interest to you. If you have found a great video and would like to share it with the group, please contact us at: sangha@milarepaiowa.org

A Demonstration of Offering Mudras

We can make the traditional offerings of a ritual of symbolic or mental worship using gestures to stand for actual physical acts of generosity. These mudras work to enhance or underscore the acts of generosity. They are:

argham — water to refresh the mouth (A beaker.)

padyam — water to refresh the feet (A basin.)

pushpam — flowers for delighting the eyes (Two blossoms.)

dhupam — incense for clearing and perfuming the air (Sticks of incense.)

alokam — light to brighten the space (Two waving lamp wicks.)

ghande — scented washing water (Parting a cloth.)

nevityeh — refreshment (A food offering.)

shapta — music to delight (Clashing a pair of cymbals.)

In this video Lama Abou demonstrates how to do the offering mudras.

Online Teachings by Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche

The Rime Movement

In the following video Khenpo Sodargye Rinpoche discusses the contemporary Rime or non-sectarian movement in Tibetan Buddhism. As we embark upon a new Dharma center the topic of non-sectarianism has come up. So I thought it would be interesting to listen to a contemporary teacher on this subject. ~Ellen Marie